Gun repair tool



Dec. 2, 1952 v. G. WALSH GUN REPAIR TOOL Filed May 31, 1949 INVENTORVEQN 6. WALSH Patented Dec. 2, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GUNREPAIR TOOL Vern 'Walsh, Fredericksburg, Va.

Application May 31, 1949, Serial No. 93,170

3 Claims.

This'inventionirelates to gun repair tools, and more particularly to ahand tool for removing dents from shotgun barrels and similar tubularstructures.

.It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved gunrepair tool for removing dents from shotgun barrels, which tool iseffective to accurately remove a dent and restore the gun barrel to itsoriginal circular cross sectional shape without stretching the metal ofthe barrel or producing any bulge in the portion of the barrel operatedupon and without a'ifecting any other portion of the barrel, which isreadily adapted for use in gun barrels of different bores or gauges,which will easily reach a dent regardless of the location of such dentlongitudinally of the gun barrel, and which is simple and durable inconstruc" tion, economical to manufacture, and extremely easy to use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following descriptionand the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal elevation of a gun barrel repair toolillustrative of the invention shown in position alongside a conventionalgun barrel to measure the distance of a dent in the barrel from one-endof the latter;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, medial cross-section through the gun barrelrepair tool, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal elevation of a fragmentary end portion of thetool with the tool rotated approximately QO-degrees from the positionillustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal, medial cross-section on an enlarged scale ofa fragmentary end portion of the tool and is taken substantially on theline 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a transverse cross-section on the line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a transverse cross-section on the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a transverse cross-section on the line '|--'I of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the tool disposed in a gun barrel, thebarrel being shown in transverse cross-section; and

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 showing the tool in a differentoperative position in the gun barrel.

With continued reference to the drawing, the improved gun barrel repairtool comprises, in

general, an elongated, tubular shaft 13, an anvil l2 positioned adjacentto and spaced from one end of the shaft it and mounted on the shaft forprojectile and contractile movement transversely of the shaft, and a rodH extending through the shaft Iii and mounted for sliding movementlongitudinally thereof. The rod H adjacent one end thereof is providedwith a means or cam surface It which engages the anvil ['2 to effect theprojectile movement upon sliding movement of the rod ll in onedirection. An elongated sleeve or nut I3 is rotatably supported on theother end of the rod H and abuts against the other end of the shaft for'eifecting the sliding movement of the rod. A graduator plunger isresiliently mounted on the nut It. An aperture'd abutment I5 is slidablymounted upon the shaft In.

The shaft Ill is an elongated metal tube having in one side thereof alongitudinally-extending, flat groove It extending entirely to one endof the shaft, but terminating short of the opposite end of the latter,and having a longitudinally-extending slot I! which is materiallyshorter than the groove IE5 and is spaced approximately degrees aroundthe tubular shaft from the groove. This slot opens to the same end ofthe shaft to which the groove 16 extends, and the shaft is provided,near its opposite end, and in line with the groove IS with a stepped,

rectangular opening I8 through which the anvil l2 extends, the largerarea of the opening I8 being at the outside of the shaft.

The rod l I is recessed near one end to provide, at the end of the shaftI0 carrying the anvil I2, the inclined cam surface 19 underlying theanvil, and is provided, at its opposite end, with an externallyscrew-threaded portion 20. A pin 2| projects laterally from the rod IInear the inner end of the screw-threaded portion 2a of the latter, andis slidably received in the slot l"! in the shaft l0 to maintain the rodagainst rotation relative to the shaft.

The nut l3 comprises an internally screwthreaded, cylindrical portion 22which is threaded onto the screw-threaded portion 23 of the rod II andbears against the adjacent end of the shaft [0, a hardened thrust washer23 preferably being disposed in a recess in the end of the nutsurrounding the screw-threaded aperture therein. An elongated boss 24extends outwardly from the cylindrical portion 22 of the nut and isprovided, at its end remote from the cylindrical portion 22, with arestriction 25 which receives the plunger with a close sliding fit.Nut-turning handles 26 project laterally outward from the cylindricalportion 22 of the nut in positions substantially diametrically opposedto each other, so that the nut can be easily turned on thescrew-threaded Portion of the rod. Near its end engaged by the nut I3,the shaft I9 is provided with an annular groove 21, and a latch plate 28is secured to the nut by suitable means, such as the screw 29, and has adetent 30 received in the groove 21 to hold the nut I3 against movementtoward and away from the adjacent end of the shaft I9.

Since the rod II is slidable Within but is held against rotationrelative to the tubular shaft Ill, and since the nut I3 is threadedlyengaged with the rod but is held against movement toward and away fromthe shaft, rotation of the nut will be effective to shift the rodslidably within the shaft.

The anvil I2 is a two-part structure including a slide 3| bearing uponthe inclined cam surface I9 of the rod II, and a rectangular block 32fitting in the enlarged outer portion of the opening I8 in the shaft ID,and provided with a bifurcated tongue 33 extending through therestricted portion of the opening 18. The runner 3| carries,substantially at its mid-length location, an outwardly-extendingapertured lug 34 which is received between the two sides of thebifurcated portion 33 of the anvil block, and a pivot pin 35, extendingtransversely of the shaft I9, pivotally secures the block portion to therunner portion of the anvil.

The outer surface of the anvil block is rounded substantially inconformity with the cylindrical curvature of the shaft I0, and the pin35 provides a sufficient freedom of rocking motion for this blockportion of the anvil, so that outward pressure exerted on the anvil bythe cam surface I 9 of the rod II will be directed entirely against adent in the gun barrel and not against the portion of the barrel at oneend or the other of the anvil block. The inclined surface I9 is inclinedoutwardly toward the adjacent end of the rod, so that when the nut I3 isthreaded inwardly on the rod II, the anvil will be forced outwardly ofthe shaft I9.

The plunger I4 is an elongated pin having a head 36 on its end disposedwithin the nut I3, this head being rounded to provide a rounded bearingsurface for the adjacent end of the rod II. A spring 31 is disposedbetween an internal shoulder provided by the restriction 25 at the outerend of the boss 24 of nut I3, and the head 36 of plunger I4, toresiliently urge the plunger inwardly of the nut, and the plunger isprovided with longitudinally-extending gradations 38 which are visibleat the outer end of the nut I 3 to indicate the position of the rod IIand. the anvil I2 relative to the shaft Iil. The nut I3 is preferablyconically tapered at its outer end, as indicated at 39, to facilitatethe reading of the graduations on the plunger I4.

The abutment I comprises an apertured ring portion 40 which slidablyreceives the shaft Ill and is provided with a screw-threaded aperture 4|extending through the wall thereof. A set screw 42 in the form of athulnbscrew or wing screw is threaded through the aperture M in theabutment 40 and engages in the groove I6 to lock the abutment inadjusted position longi tudinally of the shaft I0, and also secures theabutment to the shaft against rotation relative to the latter. This setscrew 42 is provided, at its outer end, with a sighting point 43 for a.4 purpose which will presently appear. A handle 44 extends laterallyoutward from the ring portion 49 of the abutment for rotating the tool,under certain conditions, and for holding the tool against rotationwhile the nut 13 is being threaded down on the screw-threaded portion ofthe shaft I I.

In using the tool, after the gun barrel has been removed from the stockand forearm of the gun, the tool is laid alongside the barrel with theanvil opposite the dent to be removed, as illustrated in Figure 1. Theshaft ID of the tool will extend beyond one end or the other of the gunbarrel, depending upon the location of the dent longitudinally of thebarrel. In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 the shaft extendsbeyond the muzzle end of the barrel. With the shaft I0 held against thebarrel so that the anvil I2 is opposite the dent, and with the set screw42 loosened, the abutment I5 is moved along the shaft I0 until it bearsagainst the adjacent end of the gun barrel, whereupon the set screw 42is tightened to lock the abutment in adjusted position longitudinally ofthe barrel; With the nut I3 loosened, and the anvil I2 fully retracted,the anvil end of the tool is then inserted into the barrel until theabutment bears against the end of the barrel and the tool is rotateduntil the anvil is disposed at a location substantiallyv degrees fromthe location of the dent in the barrel, this position of the tool beingparticularly illustrated in Figure 8. With the anvil at the location ofFigure 8 the sighting point 43 indicates that the anvil is in the 90degree position with respect to the dent. The nut I3 is then tighteneduntil the anvil is brought firmly into contact with the inner surface ofthe barrel, but not sufficiently to, in any way, change the shape of thebarrel. With the nut thus tightened, the graduation of the plunger I 4,at

the outer end of the nut I3, is carefully noted and the screw is thenloosened to again retract the anvil. The tool is then rotated by thehandle 44 from the position illustrated in Figure 8, to the positionillustrated in Figure 9 in which the anvil I2 is directly opposed to thedent in the gun barrel. The nut I3 is then tightened again until thesame graduation on the plunger I4 comes to the outer end of the nut I3.been exactly forced out of the gun barrel, and the barrel restored toits original, circulancrosssectional shape without any overstretchingof" the metal or any bulging of the barrel at-or near the location ofthe dent. The nut I'3 may: now again be loosened to retract the anviland the tool removed from the gun barrel. During the operations oftightening and loosening the nut I 3, the latch plate 28 holds the nutto the end of the shaft I9 and causes the rotation of the nut to impartlongitudinal movement to the moving dents from shotgun barrels, it may'ob-' viously be used to straighten other tubular structures, ifdesired.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spiritor essential characteristics thereof. The present'embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the

scope of the invention being indicated by thei When this occurs, thedent will have appended claims rather than by the foregoing description,and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalencyof the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

l. A repair tool for removing dents from gun barrels comprising anelongated, tubular shaft of a size to slide into a gun barrel and havinga horizontally-extending groove therein and a longitudinally-extendingslot shorter than and spaced from said groove and opening to one end ofsaid shaft, a rod slidable in said shaft and having an inclined camsurface near one end of said shaft and an externally screwthreadedportion extending outwardly of the opposite end of said shaft, saidshaft having an opening therein adjacent said one end, an anvilextending through said opening and bearing upon said inclined camsurface, an elongated nut threaded onto the screw-threaded portion ofsaid rod and bearing against said opposite end of said shaft,nut-turning means on said nut, a graduated plunger in said nut bearingat one end against the adjacent end of said rod and projecting at itsopposite end out of said nut for rendering the graduations thereonindicative of the position of said rod and said anvil relative to saidshaft, an apertured abutment slidably received in said shaft and havinga screw-threaded aperture therein, a set screw threaded through saidaperture and engaging in the groove of said shaft to adjustably positionsaid abutment longitudinally of said shaft so that said anvil will belocated at the position of a dent in a gun barrel when said shaft isinserted into the barrel and said abutment is brought to bear againstone end of the barrel, and a handle on said abutment for rotating saidshaft to bring said anvil directly under the dent so that the dent canbe removed by turning said nut on said rod while said tool is heldagainst rotation by said abutment handle to force said anvil outwardlyof said shaft.

2. A gun repair tool comprising an elongated tubular shaft, an anvilcarried by said shaft adjacent one end of the latter, a rod extendingthrough said shaft and having near one end an inclined cam surfacebearing against said anvil to force the latter outwardly of said shaftwhen said rod is moved longitudinally relative to said shaft, ascrew-threaded portion at the opposite end of said rod, a nut threadedonto said rod and bearing against the adjacent end of said shaft to movesaid rod longitudinally of said shaft, an apertured abutment slidablyreceiving said shaft, and means carried by said abutment and engagingsaid shaft to lock the abutment in adjusted position longitudinally ofthe shaft, said shaft having an opening therein receiving said anvil,and said anvil comprising a runner slidably engaging the inclined camsurface on said rod and a block pivotally connected to said runner.

3. A gun repair tool comprising an elongated tubular shaft, an anvilpositioned adjacent to and spaced from one end of said shaft and mountedon said shaft for projectile and contractile movement transversely ofsaid shaft, said anvil including a runner positioned within said shaftadjacent to and spaced from said one end of said shaft, and a blockprojecting transversely through said shaft and having the lower endpivotally connected to said runner, a rod extending through and mountedin said shaft for slidable movement longitudinally of said shaft, meanson said rod adjacent to one end thereof and engageable with the undersurface of said runner to effect the projectile movement of the anvilupon sliding movement of the rod in one direction, and a sleeverotatably supported on the other end of said rod in threaded engagementtherewith and abutting the other end of said shaft for effecting thesliding movement of said rod.

VERN G. WALSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 199,350 Caswell Jan. 22, 1878503,393 Vollmer Aug. 15, 1893 641,646 Parker Jan. 16, 1900 795,300Nichols July 25, 1905 1,157,073 Baash Oct. 19, 1915 1,753,005 Grady Apr.1, 1930 2,085,057 Williams June 29, 1937 2,203,175 Oliver June 4, 19402,275,614 Dewald Mar. 10, 1942 2,538,859 Bradfield Jan. 23, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 7,966 Great Britain Apr. 30, 1900 608,933Great Britain Sept. 22, 1948

